William Batstone > Chambers of Anna Vigars KC > Bristol, England > Barrister Profile
Guildhall Chambers Offices
Guildhall Chambers
23 BROAD STREET
BRISTOL
BS1 2HG
England
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William Batstone
Work Department
Agricultural and rural property dispute resolution.
Position
For 20 years, William has practised exclusively in the resolution of agricultural tenancy and related disputes, having learned the trade as a solicitor and later partner at Burges Salmon from 1994 to 2001 before returning to the Bar, having been called by Middle Temple in 1982.
William is instructed by solicitors and chartered surveyors on behalf of their clients, by arbitrators appointed to resolve disputes concerning agricultural holdings and he accepts appointments himself to act as arbitrator in such disputes. William is a trained mediator and his part-time judicial role as a Deputy District Judge since 2001 adds to his experience.
Career
Barrister in London Chambers 1983-94; solicitor and partner with Burges Salmon Bristol 1994-2001; barrister in Guildhall Chambers 2001 to date; Deputy District Judge 2002 to date.
Memberships
- Agricultural Law Association
- Chancery Bar Association
Education
- Diploma in Law, City University
- BA Hons in Philosophy, York University
- Marlborough College
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Agriculture
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1William Batstone –Guildhall Chambers ‘His advocacy is excellent; he is thorough in his preparation and he always comes across as completely on top of his brief. His advocacy is effective rather than theatrical – with clear presentation and convincing arguments that can always be relied up. He is more than a match for London-based barristers.’
Regional Bar > Western Circuit > Property and construction
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1William Batstone – Guildhall Chambers ‘William is always very thorough in his research and in the resulting advice. This linked with a good commercial awareness means that he knows what to focus on to get the best for clients. His advocacy is also excellent.’
Members of Guildhall Chambers have ‘wide-ranging expertise‘ in property and construction disputes. William Batstone is ‘an effective advocate‘ who regularly acts for landowners, farmers, and arbitrators in rural property disputes. In 2023 he acted for two farm owners in Chaplin v Morgan, which considered the proper method of terminating farm business tenancies and 1986 Act tenancies, as well as for the claimant in Williams v TG & HM Williams and Sons, which is significant for addressing the question of the correct approach to satisfaction of an equity following Guest v Guest, with the claimant having farmed a family farm for several decades in the belief he would inherit it. Jay Jagasia ‘quickly gets to grips with complex factual situations‘ – he has recently been instructed, unled, for the defendants in Henwood v Copeland & McGaws, a High Court property dispute concerning an adverse possession claim against several valuable plots of land in Cornwall. Oliver Mitchell’s property practice includes cases concerning water, sewerage, and other utility assets as well as disputes over proprietary rights and boundaries.